Space Shuttle Launch Aborted
The launch of space shuttle Challenger was aborted just seconds before liftoff today when computers detected something wrong and stopped the firing of the ship’s engines in midsequence. The launch was postponed for at least a day.
“We have a cutoff. We have an abort of this launch attempt,” launch control commentator Jim Ball reported.
Once the vehicle is declared safe, the astronauts will return to crew quarters to wait another day to ferry instruments into orbit to carry out an extensive science mission in which they are to study the sun, stars and distant galaxies.
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